Have you heard? A romantic musical next

Kartik Aaryan and Triptii Dimri

Even though Aashiqui 3 is not happening, Kartik Aaryan's film with director Anurag Basu and producer Bhushan Kumar is very much in the works. Triptii Dimri, who is currently working with the actor on Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, will reunite with him for the yet-untitled romantic musical. Sources claim that the pre-production for the movie has begun and the makers are also working on creating an interesting soundtrack. Basu is set to wrap up the shoot of his upcoming offering, Metro… In Dino, which stars Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Konkona Sensharma, Neena Gupta and Pankaj Tripathi. The filmmaker is slated to begin his next with Kartik and Triptii in August. Kartik, who has Chandu Champion releasing on June 14, also has Vishal Bhardwaj's next, slated to roll in December.

Blame the date diary

Last June, Aanand L Rai and Dhanush announced that they were teaming up for their third film together, Tere Ishk Mein. If there has been no progress on the film, it is due to the actor's busy date diary. He has multiple Tamil movies lined up, including Kubera with Nagarjuna and Rashmika Mandanna, Mari Selvaraj's Karnan and music maestro Ilaiyaraaja's biopic. Dhanush, who is gearing up for his 50th release, Raayan, is keen to first wrap up his prior commitments, before blocking two-odd months for Tere Ishk Mein. Understanding the actor's predicament, Rai is planning to begin filming in October. They will shoot Tere Ishk Mein in a start-to-finish schedule in Varanasi and other locations in Uttar Pradesh.

Top heroes wanted

Following reports of Jee Le Zaraa being revived, it is now being said that director Farhan Akhtar is committed to making it only with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt. The road-trip film will go into production only after Farhan is through with Don 3, starring Ranveer Singh. One reason why the filmmaker is not rushing his women-led movie is that the male leads are equally crucial. We hear Farhan wants three A-List heroes in keeping with Priyanka, Katrina and Alia's stature. Casting of the male leads could take longer because, more often than not, heroes are apprehensive when it comes to heroine-centric stories. Few would remember that when Sanjay Leela Bhansali set out to make Padmaavati, Shah Rukh Khan had declined to play second fiddle to the female protagonist. So, it remains to be seen who Farhan manages to rope in for Jee Le Zaraa.

South-side inspiration for Dhadak sequel

Earlier this week, Karan Johar announced his upcoming production, Dhadak 2, starring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi. Director Shazia Iqbal's love story, set against the backdrop of social barriers, will arrive on November 22 this year. However, not many are talking about the fact that the film is an adaptation, just like its predecessor. Dhadak (2018), which marked Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor's Bollywood debut, was a remake of Nagraj Manjule's 2016 Marathi hit, Sairat. Dhadak 2 is a remake of Pa Ranjith's Tamil production, Pariyerum Perumal (2018). The Kathir and Anandhi-starrer revolves around caste discrimination and struggle for equality. Interestingly, the makers of Triptii and Sid's film also credited the Tamil original in the announcement recently.

Officially shelved!

About a week ago, Ranveer Singh reportedly opted out of Prasanth Varma's next, tentatively titled Rakshas, due to creative differences. Now, the actor, director and Mythri Movie Makers, the production house behind the collaboration, have issued a statement, saying this is "not the ideal time for this project." On his part, Ranveer stated, "Prasanth is a very special talent. We met and explored the idea of a film together. Hopefully, we will collaborate on something exciting in the future." The Hanu-Man director added, "Ranveer's energy and talent is rare to find. We shall manifest our forces combining sometime in the future." The production house also maintained that while everyone's intentions were right, some things aren't meant to happen until the time is right.

Protecting his individuality

Jackie Shroff is grateful to the judiciary for passing an order that safeguards his personality rights, including his name, image, likeness, voice, and other unique attributes. He said, "For a long time, celebrities had little to no recourse against the misuse of their persona. I am heartened by the fact that courts have progressively recognised and protected these rights, as demonstrated in landmark cases involving Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Mr Anil Kapoor. These precedents have been very encouraging and motivated me to assert my rights."

Shilpa wraps up her next

Shilpa Shetty Kundra is hopeful of ending 2024 with a bang. She recently completed shooting for the Kannada film, KD - The Devil (Part 1), which stars Dhruva Sarja and Sanjay Dutt. Shilpa plays the character, Satyavati, in director Prem's action drama based on true events of 1970s Bengaluru. Sharing a video on social media, Shilpa wrote, "It's a wrap for KD - The Devil (Part 1). Can't wait for you to see Satyavati in action. All set to be yours this December."